Innovating for Sustainability: June Highlights from Auro Innovation Centre

At the Auro Innovation Centre, innovation meets impact. This month, we advanced three powerful solutions for sustainable living: a completed Tunnel Solar Dryer now supports safe, low-cost food preservation; a Smokeless Chulhais under design to bring cleaner, healthier kitchens to rural homes; and an In-House Rain Gauge is being fabricated to support climate education and localized rainfall tracking. Each project reflects our commitment to eco-conscious innovation that serves both community well-being and environmental resilience.

Tunnel Solar Dryer: Harnessing the Sun to Preserve Nutrition

One of our most exciting completed projects this month is the Tunnel Solar Dryer—an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly solution for drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other perishables.

A tunnel-type solar dryer is an enclosed structure designed to dry food using solar energy, protecting the contents from dust, insects, and rain.

How it works: The transparent cover allows sunlight to enter, heating up the air inside. This hot air flows through the tunnel, absorbing moisture from the food placed on trays. A ventilation system at the back (usually with chimneys or vents) ensures continuous airflow, carrying the moisture out and leaving the food dry and preserved.
This system ensures faster drying than open sun drying, while preserving nutrients, colour, and flavour.

Designed and fabricated by our in-house team, the tunnel-type solar dryer combines passive solar heating with aerodynamic airflow to reduce drying time while preserving the nutritional value, colour, and flavour of food. The structure ensures protection from dust, insects, and rainfall—making it highly suited for rural livelihoods, agro-processing, and community kitchens.

This dryer not only minimizes post-harvest losses but also encourages low-carbon food preservation that supports both household nutrition and local enterprise.

Smokeless Chulha (Planned): Cleaner Kitchens, Healthier Lives

As part of our focus on sustainable energy solutions, we’re preparing for the fabrication and field-testing of a domestic smokeless chulha at Matrikunj, our model sustainable campus.

A smokeless chulha is an improved version of the traditional biomass cookstove, designed to burn fuel (like firewood or cow dung) more efficiently and with minimal smoke.

How it works:
The stove uses a dual-chamber combustion system and a chimney to direct smoke outside the cooking area. Its design ensures complete combustion, reducing harmful emissions and fuel consumption. The improved airflow and insulation lead to faster cooking and safer kitchens—especially for rural households.

The smokeless chulha—a fuel-efficient traditional stove—addresses two pressing rural challenges:

• Health risks from indoor air pollution due to biomass burning.

• Inefficient fuel use that increases the burden on natural resources.

Our model aims to drastically reduce indoor smoke emissions, while improving heat transfer efficiency. Once completed, the chulha will be tested in real-world conditions and refined based on community feedback.

This innovation promotes clean cooking, women’s health, and environmental sustainability in one integrated design.

In-House Rain Gauge: Climate Monitoring, Made Simple

A third exciting development underway is the fabrication of a custom-designed rain gauge. Built to suit local environmental conditions, the rain gauge will help us monitor rainfall patterns directly at Svarnim Puducherry and Aurovanam—allowing for better planning in agriculture, water conservation, and climate education.

A rain gauge is a simple scientific instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall in a specific area.

How it works:
It consists of a funnel that directs rainwater into a graduated cylinder or container. The markings on the container allow users to read the rainfall in millimetres. Our in-house version is designed with local weather conditions in mind, making it durable, cost-effective, and easy to use for education, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Rather than relying solely on centralized meteorological data, this localized monitoring device will allow for more responsive and community-driven decision-making.

It also serves an educational purpose—allowing students, farmers, and visitors to engage directly with climate observation and deepen their understanding of natural patterns.